Senate prepares to tackle military sexual assault

McCaskill braces for battle over competing proposals

7:53 AM,
Jul. 24, 2013

Claire McCaskill

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Sen. Claire McCaskill is at the center of an increasingly fierce fight over how to crack down on sexual predators in the military, as the Senate prepares to debate legislation that would revamp the Pentagon's criminal justice system.

The showdown involves the sensitive issue of rape and the sanctity of military command, pitting victims' advocates against Pentagon brass and splintering traditional partisan alliances. At issue is how to stem a rising tide of sexual assaults in the armed forces - a problem that has festered for decades despite repeated promises of "zero tolerance" by ...